We're also spending time at the family bach at Kawhia which is on the market, so we're making the most of what could be our last time here. The old-school styles and pace of Kawhia are reminiscent of a New Zealand from the past - a place where kids play cricket on the road, and jump the fence to the neighbours' trampoline, and strangers become friends sharing scallops and beers.
Another Dutch-born visitor this week, hosted by Paige's Book Gallery in Wanganui, was photographer Ans Westra who was promoting her latest book Nga Tau ki Muri/Our Future, a political photographic commentary on the state of the New Zealand environment. Westra is one of many notable New Zealanders speaking out about "how greed is messing with the land".
We have to wait until February for the latest New Zealander of the Year to be crowned, but our current champion is Dame Anne Salmond, who's been eloquent and inspirational with her concerns about democracy and the environment.
New Year's Eve is a time for reflection and, for me, it's about the subtle and cumulative changes we're making to our country.
High-profile and high-impact proposals like the Milford tunnel (declined), Fiordland monorail and Tukituki dam (awaiting decisions) get the airtime and conceptual understanding, while the incremental and sometimes irreversible changes from soil erosion and nutrient loading are a tougher story to tell.
Colin James' latest column in the Otago Daily Times talks about New Zealand's resilience. Yes, it's true New Zealand has strength in its relatively "abundant water, natural and energy resources and high-quality food", but what's the trend? What's the tipping point for our environment?
We can get away with a lot, it seems, but eventually all pigeons come home to roost. What sort of country are we leaving for our kids to inherit?
I'm grateful to have travelled to most corners of New Zealand and seen many of the stunning postcard-image sights as well as backwater gems like Kawhia. I want more for my kids. I want the beauty to be more than skin-deep. I want the natural systems underpinning our stunning landscapes to endure.
It's New Year so forgive the cliches, but I want to leave my children a better world, not one getting worn down and out.
We watched The Lorax movie the other night and it painted an evocative image of the consequences of putting profit before planet and before people.
There are many great quotes from The Lorax but this one jumped out at me: "A tree falls the way it leans - be careful which way you lean."
So what am I asking? More than wear sunscreen, it seems - although do wear sunscreen. Start 2014 thinking about your childhood experiences and the part nature played. And think about which way you lean.
Nicola Young is a former Department of Conservation manager who now works for global consultancy AECOM. Educated at Wanganui Girls' College, she has a science degree and is the mother of two boys.
